Six LCA and openLCA Courses This Spring: Here's What We've Got On

1 month ago

Below280 is running its spring training programme across April and May 2026, covering everything from SimaPro migration and openLCA fundamentals to a four-day in-person LCA methodology course in Cramlington. Sessions run from half-day online workshops to multi-day professional training, with all openLCA courses delivered by GreenDelta certified trainers.

We have a full schedule running April through May -- from a three-hour SimaPro migration session to a four-day in-person course for people who want a deeper understanding of LCA methodology. Here's everything in one place.

The first session is on 20 April, a half-day online course for people switching from SimaPro to openLCA. Three hours on a Monday morning, practical and focused, no fluff. If you've been putting off that migration, this is the course to do it properly, rather than muddle through alone.


In May, things get busier. The 6 and 7 May are our Basic openLCA online training sessions - two afternoons for people new to the software who want a proper introduction rather than trying to figure it out from YouTube tutorials. The following week, the 13 and 14 May, is the Intermediate level for people who've been using openLCA for a while but feel like they're only scratching the surface. Both are online and run from 1 pm to 4:30 pm.


The course we'd highlight this spring is the Comprehensive LCA Training Course, 18 to 21 May, in person in Cramlington. Four full days, small group, covering ISO 14040/44 methodology with hands-on openLCA modelling throughout. We keep numbers small deliberately -- there's a real difference between watching someone build an LCA and building one yourself, with someone there to catch your mistakes before they become habits.


Then, on 26 May, we're in Birmingham for a one-day LCA Professional course. This course is for people who work with LCA results without running studies themselves. It's for sustainability managers, procurement teams, and anyone looking to grasp the basics. No software required, no prior experience assumed. Be ready to leave with an understanding of LCA theory, basic openLCA modelling, and application of LCA in both EPDs and CBAM.


The final training session of the month, on 27 and 28 May, our Advanced openLCA online training takes place. This is for practitioners who are already comfortable with the tool and want to go further: the Collaboration Server, scripting, and working cleanly across multiple databases. Two online afternoons, and it tends to draw the most experienced attendees.

All of our public openLCA courses are delivered by GreenDelta certified trainers. GreenDelta developed and maintains openLCA, and as their UK partner we’re as close to the source as it gets, which shows in how the courses are structured and the choice of topics we cover.


If you're not sure which course is right for you, or if you'd rather run a private session for your team, get in touch at info@below280.com. Full details and registration links are on our training page.


Technical Context

Demand for LCA practitioners and openLCA users is growing fast, driven by tightening requirements around EPDs in construction procurement and CBAM enforcement in EU trade. Many sustainability professionals are either new to LCA software or using it without formal training, which creates gaps in data quality and compliance confidence. This programme addresses both ends of that spectrum, from complete beginners through to advanced practitioners working with the Collaboration Server and scripted workflows.

""There's a difference between knowing how to use openLCA and knowing how to use it well. We keep our groups small because the mistakes people make early on tend to become habits, and it's much easier to catch them in the room than to unpick them six months later when someone's built a study on top of them.""

— Dr. Tom Bradley, Founder, Below280

About Below280

Below280 is a UK sustainability consultancy specialising in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), and CBAM compliance for manufacturers. Founded by Dr. Tom Bradley, Below280 is the UK partner for GreenDelta, the developers of openLCA. The team works with UK manufacturers to produce verified carbon data that meets regulatory requirements and supports procurement competitiveness. below280.com

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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

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Britain’s ageing building stock is being forced into rapid reconsideration as climate pressures mount. The Climate Change Committee’s call for resilience has pushed sustainable construction into a new phase where adaptation joins mitigation as a driver of policy and design, as noted in UK Homes Are Unfit for Rising Temperatures. Architects and engineers are turning to sustainable building design and eco-design for buildings that prioritise low carbon design, resilience, and occupant wellbeing. The focus is widening to include the carbon footprint of construction, lifecycle assessment, and the need for circular construction strategies that enable end-of-life reuse in construction.

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The UK Green Building Council’s Whole Life Cycle Carbon Framework establishes a clear benchmark for whole life carbon assessment and life cycle thinking in construction. It extends beyond operational energy performance to encompass the full environmental impact of construction, from material sourcing through demolition. This methodology integrates life cycle cost analysis with environmental product declarations (EPDs) to support sustainable material specification and verifiable reductions in embodied emissions.

Such progress represents a crucial shift from focusing solely on energy-efficient buildings to measuring the total building lifecycle performance. The adoption of standards such as BREEAM and its forthcoming BREEAM v7 reinforce environmental sustainability in construction and encourage sustainable building practices across the industry. As global priorities converge on carbon neutral construction and circular economy models, the sector is redefining what a low carbon building represents—an asset designed through sustainable architecture and maintained through resource efficiency in construction.

The convergence of research, policy, and innovation is reshaping the built environment into one aligned with sustainable urban development and green infrastructure objectives. The trajectory suggests a maturing discipline that views sustainability not as a marketing claim but as quantifiable whole life carbon performance embedded in every stage of design, construction, and operation, driven by frameworks like UKGBC’s initiative to reduce whole life carbon of building projects.

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